Clothes hanger rod for automobiles



Jan. 31, 1961 P. E. LILLY 2,959,881

CLOTHES HANGER ROD FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Jan. 22, 1958 Fig./

Pa/rick E. Lil/y 1N VENTOR.

United States This invention relates in general to clothes hanging devices and pertains more particularly to such a device particularly adapted for use in conjunction with an automobile.

For people indulging in a considerable amount -of cross country travel, it is of extreme importance to provide some means for hanging clothes within an automobile so that the same may be hung in a natural manner to retain their press and without being wrinkled or crumpled as is the usual case when garments are carried in a suitcase. Further, it is desirable that the clothes also be hung in such a manner that they will obstruct neither the drivers view through the side Windows nor his View through the rear mirror. Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel clothes hanger rod assembly for use in automobiles such that garments may be conveniently hung within the interior of the automobile in a natural fashion and wherein the clothes will be hung in such a manner as to permit a full view to the rear and the sides.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collapsible, knockdown clothes hanger rod particularly adapted for use in automobiles which is of simple and economical construction so that the same may be offered as an inexpensive accessory item for automobiles.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved clothes hanger for automobiles including a plurality of collapsible sections telescopically engaged so that the same may be easily and quickly removed and replaced in an automobile.

A further object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger device of the character described wherein at least portions thereof are provided with tubular body portions and with such body portions being provided with a plurality of transversely extending and longitudinally spaced notches opening upwardly thereon and adapted to receive therethrough and securely anchoring therein the hooks of clothes hangers so that a number of clothes may be hung from conventional hangers on either side of the device within the interior of an automobile without crumpling, wrinkling or the like and spacing the clothes so as to provide a clear and full rear view.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger rod of the character described incorporating a center section and opposite end portions of tubular configuration telescopically engaged over the center section and each being provided with transversely extending notches or slots therein to receive the hooks of clothes hangers and each being provided at its free end with an eye or loop having inwardly directed end portions projecting through the walls of the tubular sections and serving to non-rotatably locate end plugs therein.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein atent O Patented Jan. 31, 1 961 ice like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a'vehicle showing the improved clothes hanger rod installed therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through one end section of the clothes hanger rod;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through one of the tubular end sections and the intermediate section of the rod; and

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective of the rod assembly.

Referring at this time more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates in general a vehicle body such as the body of an automobile which is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed hook elements 11 and 12 in the interior thereof and to which hook elements the instant invention maybe i'emovably associated. The improved clothes hanger rod includes the two opposite tubular end sections 13 and 14 and the intermediate tubular section 15, all of which are telescopically interengaged so that the assembly may be disposed between a collapsed position wherein it may be stored for future use in an expanded or extended position.. The extensibility of the device is also effective in enabling the clothes hanger rod to fit various types of vehicles having difierent inner dimensions.

As is seen most clearly in Figure 2, each of the end sections 13 and 14 is of tubular configuration and is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced and transversely extending upwardly opening notches 16-, each of which has its opposed bottom edges 17 disposed substantially at or below the horizontal diameter of the tubular section. Each of these notches 16 is adapted to receive, therein, the hook of a conventional clothes hanger so that a garment may be suspended therefrom and yet firmly afiixed in longitudinal position relative to the clothes hanger rod. The free end of each of the opposite end tubular sections 13 and 14 is provided with a closure plug element indicated generally by the reference character 18 and which will be seen to include the main body portion 19 and laterally extending separate finger portions 20, 21, 22, etc. The fingers 20, 21 and 22 are flexible and normally present an outer diameter which is greater than the inner diameter of the tubular section so that the same may be forced into the free ends of the sections 13 and 14 and so as to be clamped and snugly held therein as will be clearly evident. Between adjacent diametrically opposed fingers 21 and 2'2, there is a relatively wide space 23 such as to receive the laterally inwardly directed end portions 24 of the eye or hook elements 25 of the securing elements for the clothes rod which are engaged over the previously mentioned books 11 and 12 and serve to hold the rod in place. The end portions 24 of the eyes or hooks serve to non-rotatably receive the closure members 18 in the ends of the tubular sections 13 and 14 and the construction and disposition of the eyes 25 is such as to hold the rod in the position shown in Figure 1 with the notches 16 disposed uppermost and terminating at their bottom edges 17 in diametrically horizontally opposed relation.

The center section 15 is telescopically received in the opposed inner end portions 26 and 27 of the two end sections 13 and 14 and the two sections 13 and 14 are provided with detents 28 and 29 respectively cooperable with the center section 15. The several sections are of approximately the same length and the detent 28 is located near the outer end of section 13 so that when the device is stored, and the center section 15 collapsed within section 13, the detent 28 will act as a limit stop for section 15, leaving a sufficient length of the same p'rinciples of the invention.

projecting from section 13 so as to enable it to be easily grasped for extension. Detent 29, as seen in Figure 3, serves as a limit stop for the insertion of section 15 into section 1% and assumes that section :15 will he inserted in both end sections a sufiicient amount to hold the assembly together under the weight' of the clothes hung thereover.

By providing the notches 16 only in the rod sections :13 :and 14 and transversely "thereof, the clothes will be grouped to either side of the automobile, =leaving the Y center free and clear to pertnit thedriver to "have a full view to the'rear.

The foregoing is considered as iHustrative only of the Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the an, it i's not desired to limit the invention to the exact constructon and operation shown and '-described, and accordingly, all "suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fal1ing within the scope of-the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as'follows:

1. A clothes-hanger for vehicles comprisinganelongated rod assembly including three tubular, axially aligned, telescopingly and rotatably engaged sections,

two of saidsections comprising endsections and-having the same innerdiameter, the third tubularsectionhaving its opposite ends snugly'and slidably disposed in the-adjacen't in ne'r ends of said en'd sections, rneans at the remote ends of s'aid' end'sections adapted toremovably secure said rod 'ass'emhly within an automotive vehicle against rotation about its longitudinal axis, a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending-and upwardlyopening notches formed in said endsections, each 'of said notches-of a width to receive only one-clothes hanger hook and being provided with substantially parallel side edges, said notches having their bottom edges disposed substantially on the horizontal diameter of said tubular sections and each being of a depth whereby a-substantialpor-tion'of the notches will project above a hanger hook received thereinfinsriring that said books will not be dislodged from said'notchesas "a result of any jarring movement of the vehicle to which said assembly is attached and whereby the curved hook of a coat hanger will engage a section at two transversely spaced points along a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the tubular sections thereby greatly reducing any tendency of the coat hangers to swing about the longitudinal axis of the end sections, said securing means comprising an eye secured to each of the opposite ends of said rod assembly each including laterally in'wardly turned leg portions extending transversely through and rotatably journaled in the walls of the corresponding end section, s'aid'notches being confined to opposite end portionsof the hanger to provide a full and unobstructed view in the center of an automobile in which said rod ass'enibly'is secured, one of said end sections including stop means projecting inwardly from the inner surface thereof between the innner end thereof and the innermost notch, said stop means engaging the correspondingend 'of said third section and preventing further telescoping of the latter within said one end section.

2. The combination of claim 1 including end closure means for the remote ends of said end sections each including a main body portion closing the associated end of said end sections and laterally inwardly directed spaced fingers snuglyengagedwithin-the corresponding end section, said leg portions being disposed between ,pairs of adjacent fingers for-preventing rotation of the :same within the end sections.

References Cited-in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,354,811 Faistenhammer Oct. 5, 1920 1,653,742 Sparrow Dec. 27, 1927 1,700,253 Davis Jan. 29, 1929 2,442,099 Shoemaker 'May 25, 1948 2,522,174 'Herrnsmeyer Sept. 12, 1950 2,560,942 Ford July '17, 1951 2,628,751 'Bain Feb. 17, 1953 2,733,846 Leebow "Feb. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 

